Privacy Policy - Harrow Removals

This Privacy Policy explains how Harrow Removals collects, uses, stores, shares, and protects personal data in connection with our removal, packing, storage, and related moving services. It applies to all Harrow Removals customers in the area, including prospective customers, current customers, former customers, and individuals who enquire about our services on behalf of others.

We are committed to handling personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. We aim to be clear, fair, and transparent about what information we collect and why we use it. This policy is intended to help you understand your rights and our responsibilities when we process your personal data.

1. Personal Data We Collect

We collect only the personal data that is necessary for us to provide our services, manage our business, and meet our legal obligations. The type of information we collect may include:

Identity details, such as your name and title.
Contact details, such as your address, telephone number, and email address.
Service details, such as moving dates, property access notes, inventory information, delivery instructions, and service preferences.
Payment information, such as billing details and payment status.
Correspondence data, including emails, messages, and records of telephone conversations.
Technical and usage data, if you interact with our digital systems, such as device information, browser type, and basic usage records.
Special category data only where strictly necessary and where you choose to provide it, for example if it is relevant to access arrangements, vulnerability support, or health-related moving considerations.

We usually collect personal data directly from you when you request a quotation, make a booking, confirm a move, submit an enquiry, or communicate with us during the provision of services. We may also receive information from third parties where necessary to complete a move, such as estate agents, landlords, solicitors, inventory providers, or payment processors.

2. How We Use Your Personal Data

We use personal data for the following purposes:

To respond to enquiries and provide quotations.
To plan, manage, and deliver removal and related services.
To communicate with you about your booking, schedule changes, or service requirements.
To process payments, issue invoices, and handle refunds or adjustments.
To maintain internal records and service history.
To improve our operations, customer experience, and service quality.
To meet legal, regulatory, accounting, and tax obligations.
To defend or establish legal claims where necessary.

We will only use your personal data for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we reasonably consider that we need to use it for another compatible purpose and that purpose is lawful.

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under data protection law, we must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. Depending on the situation, we rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Performance of a Contract

We process personal data where it is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you. This includes preparing quotes, confirming bookings, carrying out removals, handling customer instructions, and providing after-service support related to the move.

Legal Obligation

We process certain information where we are required to do so by law, such as for tax recordkeeping, accounting requirements, and compliance with other legal duties.

Legitimate Interests

We may process personal data where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms. Examples include managing customer relationships, improving service delivery, preventing fraud, protecting our business assets, and keeping appropriate business records.

Consent

In limited cases, we may rely on your consent, especially where specific optional information is requested or where special category data is provided voluntarily and is not required for the service. Where we rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

4. Data Sharing and Processors

We may share personal data with trusted third parties where this is necessary for the operation of our business or the delivery of our services. When we use third parties to process personal data on our behalf, they act as processors and are contractually required to protect your data and use it only for authorised purposes.

Examples of processors and third parties may include:

Payment service providers that process card or bank-related transactions.
IT and cloud service providers that store data, support communications, or maintain business systems.
Accounting and bookkeeping providers that assist with financial records and statutory compliance.
Customer management and scheduling tools used to organise bookings and operational planning.
Professional advisers, such as legal or tax advisers, where necessary.
Subcontractors or service partners involved in the completion of a move, only where required and subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

We may also disclose personal data to public authorities, regulators, law enforcement bodies, or courts where we are legally required to do so or where disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, customers, or others.

We do not sell personal data. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we take appropriate steps to ensure that it is protected in line with applicable data protection laws.

5. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, and reporting requirements. Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the reason it is held.

In general:

Customer and service records are retained for a period needed to manage the relationship and resolve disputes.
Financial and transaction records are retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws.
Correspondence and operational records are retained for an appropriate period to support service history and business administration.
Data no longer required is securely deleted, anonymised, or archived in line with our retention procedures.

Where personal data is no longer needed, we will take reasonable steps to ensure it is securely disposed of or anonymised so it can no longer identify you.

6. Data Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure. These measures may include access controls, secure storage, staff confidentiality obligations, and restricted handling procedures.

Although we take reasonable steps to safeguard data, no system can be guaranteed completely secure. If a personal data breach occurs, we will respond in line with applicable legal requirements and take steps to minimise any potential harm.

7. Your Rights

Under data protection law, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data. These rights may be subject to limitations and exemptions in certain circumstances.

Right of access – you can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – you can ask us to delete your data where there is a valid basis to do so.
Right to restriction – you can ask us to limit how we use your data in certain cases.
Right to object – you can object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Right to data portability – you can request that certain data be provided to you or another organisation in a structured, commonly used format.
Right to withdraw consent – where consent is used, you may withdraw it at any time.

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed. We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve any concerns directly and promptly.

8. Children’s Data

Our services are not directed at children, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children except where it is incidental to providing a moving service and appropriately authorised by an adult customer or legal guardian. If we become aware that we have collected data from a child without proper authority, we will take appropriate steps to delete or secure that information.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, legal obligations, or data handling practices. When we do so, we will revise the policy and apply the updated version to future processing. We encourage customers to review it periodically to stay informed about how we protect personal data.

By using Harrow Removals’ services, you acknowledge that your personal data may be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and the applicable data protection laws.